Review and Giveaway: MyPreciousKid.com CLOSED

My 15-month old is quite adventurous, always on the go and always getting into something. That's a boy for you. We've had our fair share of accidents already, including a fat lip from jumping on and subsequently falling off of our bed, as well as a bruised cheekbone from unsuccessfully climbing onto our couch. Try as I might to prevent it, I'm sure there will be more trauma in the future. It just sorta goes with the toddler territory. All I can do is prepare myself for the inevitable, by educating myself about potential dangers and childproofing as best I can. But it's often hard to know where to start with the overwhelming sea of products on the market.

MyPreciousKid.com eases your parental fears, providing you with a one-stop shop for all of your child safety needs. You'll find ID cards and labels, harnesses, first aid kits, alarms, brackets/anchors, locks/latches, baby gates, guards, and cushions. There are DVDs and books you can read or watch and discuss with your children. They even carry babywearing, nursing, sleeping and feeding gear! Seriously, they carry everything I can think of - and more - in one, easy-to-navigate place.

I was fortunate enough to receive a Child Safety Pack and The Child Safety Guide for New and Expecting Parents by Christian J. Bezick to review.

The book was very informative, relaying statistical information, tips/advice/warnings and product suggestions for keeping your baby safe. Did you know that more than 4 million children under the age of 5 are injured and require medical attention each year? That is 22% of the population segment! Children under 5 get hurt twice as much as the rest of us because they lack the judgment and understanding about safety risks. Hazard recognition is a learned behavior through trial-and-error, rather than something that comes naturally to us.

Half of all child injuries occur at home and to prevent these injuries, I learned you should childproof in layers. For example, to optimally childproof your laundry room you should place a door knob cover on the door (layer 1), place a safety latch on the storage cabinet (layer 2) and put childproof caps on toxic items in the cabinet (layer 3). This may seem like overkill but it is imperative to place barriers between your children and dangerous items or substances. It may not completely prevent accidents from happening but it will certainly limit the occurrences.

I also learned that table salt is toxic to young children. Did you know that just a tablespoon and a half of salt can be deadly to a baby 25 lbs. or less? Not that I allow Nate to play with a salt shaker but I still had no idea how dangerous something like this could be. It was a very eye-opening read.

In addition to childproofing, the book discusses SIDS and sleep safety, how to identify product recalls and what to do if one of your products is involved, car seat safety and installation, choking, poisoning, drowning, and strangulation. Guardianship and life insurance are also touched on briefly. There is a helpful appendix in the back that allows you to make a list of products that you research, which is perfect for pregnant couples trying to compare the features of car seats and similar baby gear.

I also received a Child Safety Pack from MyPreciousKid.com. The Child Safety Pack contains:

• (1) Child ID Card - to be carried in your wallet or purse in case your child wanders off
  
• (1) Child Car Seat ID Card with Velcro - to be attached to your child's car seat in case of car accident
  
• (1) Medical Release Card - to be given to caregiver in case of emergency
  
• (1) Child Luggage Tag ID Card - for diaper bag or luggage, if traveling
  
• (2) Shoe ID Stickers - to be placed inside shoe or helmet in case your child is lost
  
• (1) Disposable Child ID bracelet - wristband for your child to wear in case he/she is lost
  
• (1) Child DNA Fingerprint Kit with Ink - to be kept at home and presented to law enforcement if your child should go missing
  

Each card holds a recent photo, thumbprint, name, address, weight, height, birth date, emergency contact numbers, doctor name and number, dentist’s name and number, insurance info, plus a medical release signature allowing immediate medical treatment if you are not present or can not speak for your child. Each card also comes with its own self-seal, laminate pouch so the pertinent information will always remain clear and intact.

The Child Safety Pack was the proud winner of the 2006 Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award and is CPSC and CPSIA compliant.



I admit when I first opened the pack, I had no idea if all of this was truly necessary or if I would really use it. But then "protective mommy instincts" kicked in. I'm incredibly thankful that most of Nate's injuries thus far have been relatively minor. But what if something serious happened to both of us? What if we were in a car accident and I couldn't respond on his behalf? Would my son be taken care of? Or what if, heaven forbid, Nate got out of my sight in a public place? These are situations that no parent wants to think about but for our child's protection, we must consider it.

God willing, I will never have to use this kit. But it makes me feel much more at ease knowing that I have these small, simple tools to help in those immensely scary scenarios. Having my child's information at my fingertips can save time and resources trying to identify or locate him, if necessary.

The only thing I would have liked to see included in this kit is a permanent fine-tip marker to fill in the information. You can purchase one separately but I would have liked to have this as part of the kit so I didn't have to hunt one down. Also, the kit is only good for one year, as the information on the cards is likely to change the minute after you fill it out. Kids just grow and change so much in a short amount of time. It would be nice to have a wipe-clean option to easily change the information without having to purchase an entire kit each year.

Bottom line: If you are pregnant or mom to a small child, I would definitely recommend checking out MyPreciousKid.com for all your child safety needs and purchasing a Child Safety Pack. While some of you may think it is "being paranoid", "going overboard" or "highly unlikely" that you'd ever need it, it's a small price to pay for assurance in an emergency situation. The Child Safety Guide for New and Expecting Parents is also a highly informative book for a new mom who isn't sure where to start with childproofing.

BUY IT: You can purchase a Child Safety Pack and The Child Safety Guide for New and Expecting Parents exclusively on MyPreciousKid.com (ARV $15.99 and $4.00, respectively). Pregnant? You can also set up a gift registry!

WIN IT: One lucky reader is going to win the book and a Child Safety Pack ($20 value)! But that's not all...5 more winners are going to win a Car Seat ID Card!

MAIN COURSE (MANDATORY ENTRY): Check out MyPreciousKid.com and tell me a product you'd like to have and why. Easy! Remember to please leave your email address in your comment if it isn't visible on your profile or if you are not a blogger!

SUGAR ON TOP (BONUS ENTRIES): To maximize your chances of winning, you may do any or all of the following. Be sure to complete the above mandatory entry or your bonus entries will not count!

1.) Follow my blog or subscribe via reader or email. Comment telling me which method you chose. If you already follow or subscribe, that counts! (1 entry)

2.) Follow me and @MyPreciousKid on Twitter and tweet about this contest. Just leave me a comment with your tweet link. (1 entry)

3.) Become a fan of My Precious Kid on Facebook. (1 entry)

4.) Subscribe to the My Precious Kid Child Safety blog. (1 entry)

5.) Enter any of my other current giveaways and leave a comment telling me which one(s) you entered. (1 entry each)

Giveaway will end on November 20, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. Open to U.S. only. Winners will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to congratulatory email or prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: As noted above, I was sent a book and Child Safety Pack from Kay at My Precious Kid to facilitate my candid review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post. None of the items mentioned in this review are a substitute for parental supervision.